Leveraging Services for Employment, Growth and Equity: Access to Essential Services in Education and Health. Synthesis Paper
A key impediment to growth in South Africa is the relative shortage of high-quality human capital, manifested as part of the unequal distribution of assets in the country. International evidence shows that an unequal distribution of assets, especially of human capital, hampers overall growth and disproportionately affects the income growth of the poor. Attaining optimal…
read more >>Creating a learning culture in rural schools via educational satellite television broadcasts.
Globalisation is increasingly placing greater pressure on economies of countries to become competitive and to develop a higher levels of skills. In order to compete effectively on a global level, education and development must be based on a good foundation. Although formal education in South Africa is presently reaching the majority of children between the…
read more >>Identifying Opportunities to Drive Demand for ICT in South Africa
This report is part of the Vision 2020 process of the Department of Communications. It reports on a three-part analysis of the links between ICT investment and job creation in South Africa. It reviews barriers to broadband usage, assesses demographic trends, and offers a global review of demand-side interventions. The presentation suggests a three-pronged strategy…
read more >>The Economy-Wide Effects of Price-Reducing Reforms in Infrastructure Services in South Africa
Prices of infrastructure services in South Africa may be higher than in other countries because of imperfect competition, non-tariff barriers to trade, or inefficiencies in production. A static computerised general equilibrium (CGE) model is used to analyse the economy-wide effects of reducing telecommunications and transport prices by reforming each of these three factors. This modelling…
read more >>Exchange Rates, Growth, and Unemployment
There has been some debate on the impact of exchange rate volatility and levels in South Africa. This is a particular concern as South Africa needs to dramatically expand sustainable employment and at the same time raise value-added in its production of goods and services. These are not necessarily complementary objectives for a mineral-exporting economy….
read more >>When Might an Exchange Rate Depreciation Be Growth Inducing or Contractionary?
This paper forms part of an Human Sciences Research Council project on exchange rates and employment, which seeks to understand the impact of exchange rate fluctuations on employment in South Africa. The South African government has the aim of accelerating the rate of economic growth and sustaining it at higher levels. It also aims to…
read more >>Youth Labour Market Challenges in South Africa
Altman identifies labour market challenges facing South African youth, in view of the high chance of long-term unemployment among young people. She assesses labour market dynamics, questioning whether the economy is creating low-skill jobs, whether education improves people’s chances in the labour market, and whether graduate unemployment is a problem because young people study inappropriate…
read more >>Low Wage Work in South Africa
Altman examines the emerging character of the ‘working poor’ in South Africa and the implications for economic policy. The theme is particularly relevant for economies whose cost structures are not well aligned with promoting meaningful economic participation. The paper starts by setting the unemployment scene, showing that low-paid work is a greater burden if the…
read more >>A Contribution to the Analysis of the Employment Creation Potential of Recycling in South Africa
Lowitt offers an overview of global trends in recycling, defined as the recovery and use of waste. She identifies innovations and explores how these innovations can be used in South Africa. It goes on to investigate the economic benefits of, and current thinking on, recycling, and suggests that waste should be seen as a national…
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